Eclipses are big this month, with two occurring: one total lunar and one partial solar. A “Blood Moon” total lunar eclipse will begin on the evening of March 13, lasting six hours into the early morning hours of March 14 in its entirety. With good weather, we will have front row seats. The moon will appear to glow orangish-red as it passes through Earth’s shadow.

In reality, a “Blood Moon” and an eclipse are actually the same thing. About two to three “Blood Moons” occur in a typical year. The moon appears red because shorter, blue wavelengths of light from the sun are scattered outward when Earth passes between the sun and the moon, and` Earth’s shadow is cast on the moon. This allows longer red wave lengths to dominate. Other factors such as dust or moisture in the Earth’s atmosphere can also affect the color of the moon.

In addition to a total and partial lunar eclipse, a third type, a penumbral eclipse can occur when the moon passes through the penumbra, which is the outer, faintest part of Earth’s shadow. These are difficult to see as the moon becomes only slightly darkened.

All of North America, (except for Alaska), Central and the Western half of South America will able to see the total lunar eclipse from start to finish. In our part of Maine, the moon will rise in the east at 6:19 p.m. on March 13 and will set at 7:02 a.m. on the morning of the 14th, according to https://www.timeanddate.com/, a cool website where you can plug in a location and a date and find out moon rise and set times.

On Saturday, March 29, 2025, a partial solar eclipse will be visible from the extreme eastern parts of the Northern Hemisphere at sunrise, if the weather is clear.